At the end of the Exar Kun War, the Republic bombarded the surface of Yavin 4, killing Suvam's Baragwin friends. His masters having been killed, Tan was free. He then searched several of the moons of Yavin for salvageable parts, having memorized several bountiful locations during his slave days.

Tan took up residence on Yavin Station, a supply depot abandoned by the Republic following the war's end. There he set up a trading post and workshop. He became known as a skilled mechanic and inventor, even attracting the attention of the Exchange. His inventions were sought after by many, especially smugglers. He even constructed a cortosis-resistant lightsaber.[1]

Years later, as the low-quality Yavin Station began to crumble, Suvam hid several of his most prized possessions on locations on the three habitable moons of Yavin. He intended to send a data crystal containing information of where to find these to his only son on Rodia. However, just as the freighter carrying the data crystal undocked, Yavin Station exploded. The blast propelled it into the asteroid moon Yavin 22, where Suvam's remains were found millennia later by a descendant of his named Suz Tanwa.[1]